Trump’s Visa Ban is about anti-Muslim Bigotry, not Security
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reuters is reporting that on Wednesday, Trump…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Reuters is reporting that on Wednesday, Trump…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - al-Diyar (The Lands) [Beirut] reports on what…
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump has had a contentious relationship…
Foreign Policy
Israeli former Minister Cancels Belgium Visit fearing Arrest for Gaza War Crimes
IMEMC News | - - Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has reportedly cancelled her trip to Belgium, according to the PNN, over threats of arrest for war crimes in Gaza. On…Trump to al-Sisi: Syria’s al-Assad is a Brave, steadfast Man (Beirut Report)
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - al-Diyar (The Lands) [Beirut] reports on what Egyptian officials allegedly leaked about the telephone conversation between Donald J. Trump and Egyptian president `Abdel…Netanyahu vows Israeli squatter settlement expansion in Palestinian E. Jerusalem
Ma'an News | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised his far-right government on Sunday that he would lift all restrictions on settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem,…Oil-Rich Arab States Quietly Join Israel in Cheering for Trump
TeleSur | - - Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf Arab allies are happy to see Obama leave office as President Donald Trump would be “very, very tough” on Iran. While the…Will Saudi Reforms be enough to Forestall big Trouble ahead?
By Bernard Haykel | (Project Syndicate) | - - In 2017, Saudi Arabia will continue to pursue two key goals: to reduce its economy's dependence on oil revenues and government spending; and…Kurds Will Come Together to Discuss Independence With Baghdad
TeleSur | - - Kurdish independence “is a reality that will come true,” said Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. Kurdish parties will meet with the Iraqi government…Trump to CIA: We now have 2nd Chance to take Iraq’s Oil
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump has had a contentious relationship with the US intelligence community, in part over their conviction that the Russian Federation attempted to…Thousands of Palestinian-Israelis rally after Israel Razed Bedouin Village
Ma'an News Agency | - - ARARA (Ma'an) -- Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Saturday in the town of Arara in northern Israel, in the wake of a demolition campaign…The Future of Iraq? As Police Lose Control Of Streets, Militias Take Over
Mustafa Habib | (Baghdad) | (Niqash.org) | - - The volunteer militias formed to fight the Islamic State group are now policing Baghdad’s neighbourhoods. But as they do, they compete with the…Top 3 Ways to rig an Election
By William deBuys | ( Tomdispatch.com ) - - Donald Trump was right. The election was rigged. What Trump got wrong (and, boy, does he get things wrong) is that the rigging…Even after Russia included US in Syria Peace Talks, can they Succeed?
By Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) | - - The Middle East keeps going its way as usual, continuously creating global news headlines. Two such current and hot news events are the…How Much is a Palestinian Life Worth? Disappointment at Azaria Sentence
By Ilaria Grasso Macola | (GlobalVoices.org) | - - On January 4, 2017, Elor Azaria, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, was convicted of manslaughter by the Israeli military court. Azaria, now…Will Donald Trump bring back torture? Can Foreign leaders stop him?
By Vincent Charles Keating | (The Conversation) | - - There can be no doubt that the swearing in of Donald Trump on January 20 will usher in a new era for…Along with pardoning Manning, Obama should have repealed 1917 Espionage Act
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - In a daring and bold move that showed his profound humanitarian side, President Obama has commuted the 35-year sentence of Chelsea Manning, a…Palestinian Parliamentarians say Israeli Legislation aims to annex West Bank
Ma'an News Agency | - - BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed a controversial bill on Tuesday that would allow verdicts from military court proceedings in the occupied West…Screwed?: 4 Top International Crises we have to depend on Trump to Resolve
By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Within months of taking office, President Donald Trump is likely to face one or more major international crises, possibly entailing a risk…Trump feuds with Merkel, EU, BMW, NATO, China, CIA but not with Putin
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Donald Trump picked a fight with almost everyone but his buddy Vladimir Putin this weekend. His continued tweaking of China over its claims…Credible: Author of Trump’s dirty dossier ‘had UK agencies’ for clients
By Georgi Gotev, James Crisp | Euractiv.com | - - EXCLUSIVE/ Christopher Steele, the former MI6 spy and author of the dirty dossier on President-elect Donald Trump, claimed to have carried out…Israeli Soldiers Uproot Hundreds Of Olive Trees For Illegal Colonialist Road
IMEMC | - - Israeli soldiers started, on Monday morning, the illegal uprooting of hundreds of olive trees, as part of a plan to uproot hundreds of Palestinian trees to pave a…Islam Ban sought by Far Right Austrian Party founded by ex-Nazis
TeleSur | - - Before he announced his proposal, Strache warned the crowd of the “existential threat” posed by Islam to Europe. As the vortex of right-wing populism courses through Europe, Austria…